My name is Elise Ritter and I am 28 years old. I am currently working as a barista at a cafe which is good because it helps fuel my coffee addiction. Espresso is probably one my favorite things to drink at work and since my work roasts their own coffee I always get to try an assortment of high quality beans. I have always been passionate about nature and as a kid I would always be outside exploring. I used to go to my aunt's farm every summer to walk around the country side and hang out with her wide range of animals. I have always had a soft spot for animals in general and decicided when I was 16 to become a vegetarian and am still to this day after 11 years. This also ties into my artwork as well, my main subject matter tends to center around animals in one way or another. When I do art it tends to be about things that make me happy or bring joy to others. Ever since I was a child I have been drawn to illustrations in books or packaging it was the reason I picked up many books in my life. I would even keep candy or drink packaging because of the illustrations it had on them. I have always loved to learn and started going to community college right out of high school. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do for a while so I spent my time exploring classes and trying new things. Over time I realized I would always take art classes every semester and that's when I knew I wanted to get more serious about art and pursue a degree in it. I was afraid people wouldn't take me seriously if I told them I wanted a degree in art. But my family has always been very supportive of me in anything l've wanted to do in life, so with that I eventually graduated from STLCC and got the courage to enroll at Webster University which had always been my dream school.